The building process, whether commercial or residential, large scale projects or small, can be a meticulous process involving routine but exact measurements. There are common features of a building that are routinely placed at a specific distance from a reference point. For example, features like light switches, electrical outlets, vents, etc., may be set at a uniform distance from respective reference points throughout a building. One such example may be the placement of electrical outlets. Electrical outlets are often placed at a specific distance from a reference point. These reference points may include but are not limited to a distance above a finished floor, a distance from a door frame, a distance from another feature, etc, and are further placed at specific depths within the building, so as to align with outer face plates.
During the building of a structure, electrical outlets and other fixtures may be designed to be placed at a uniform distance from a reference point throughout the structure. For example, all (or most) electrical outlets throughout a structure may be placed at a distance of 12 inches above a finished floor. Therefore, the same measurement may be made for all electrical outlets throughout the structure. Furthermore, following the example above, light switches may also be placed at a different distance from a same or different reference point. For example, light switches may be placed at a distance of 48 inches above a finished floor. Once the height of the light switches and electrical boxes is determined, the depth must also be measured and marked. This process of measuring height and depth is a time consuming process that introduces many opportunities for human error.
There is desired a solution that allows a user to quickly determine a specific distance from a reference point. Additionally, it is desired that such a solution would allow the user to easily switch between different lengths as they determine distances and place electrical boxes at the determined distance.